“-so anyway, we got to Suna and this old lady went to kill Kakashi, believe it! Sasuke almost attacked her, but then Gaara-”

  Miyu lets herself get lost in Naruto’s energy. He’s definitely loud enough to be heard over the other patrons at the barbecue place they’re in. He sits opposite her, with Sakura to his left, and Sasuke on the end of the table. Next to Miyu is a quiet man with dark brown hair and eyes who had introduced himself as Yamato. To her left is Itachi, and opposite him sits Kakashi.

  Miyu is no ninja, but she can feel the stares that their group is attracting– though she can’t tell whether they’re watching the group as a whole, or just her.

  Regardless, she knows they’ll be watching any interaction between she and Itachi closely. So she keeps herself level and doesn’t touch him, doesn’t smile at him any more than the others on the table. Miyu doesn’t miss that Itachi is doing the exact same thing.

  A small part of her wonders if this is how it always has to be. He is the clan heir, and she is – well. She’s no one.

  The thought is sobering, but she keeps her smile on her face as Naruto continues his story telling. Dinner on this scale is rare, according to Sakura. Usually, one or more of them is out of the village, and though she doesn’t say it overtly her eyes flicker to Itachi and she notes that he must be a new addition to this team seven dinner.

  Miyu doesn’t know whether to be glad that they’re an intimidating group of people, or bemoan the attention they seem to draw. Surely she would be able to fade into the background if she came alone? But as Naruto beams at her and Kakashi slants her an amused look, she thinks the company might just be worth the trouble.

  “Let’s go get dessert! Race you there, Sasuke!” and Naruto and Sasuke disappear in a flash.

  “So,” Sakura falls into step beside Miyu and links their arms, “how did class go this morning?”

  Miyu nods in thanks to their host as they file out of the restaurant.

  “It was… interesting,” she says amusedly, “one of my students threw a particularly well-aimed tile at their classmate, but aside from that it went smoothly.”

  “How’d you handle it?” Sakura smirks.

  “Well,” Miyu lets her eyes trail over the broad backs lined up before her. Itachi, Kakashi, and Yamato make for three finely sculpted specimens. “The one who received a black eye was being rather… inflammatory. Talking of how girls shouldn’t play shogi, or even be ninja.”

  Sakura cocks a brow, “Must’ve been a merchant kid.”

  Miyu smiles, “Clan, actually. Took me a little by surprise if I’m honest.” Because the child hadn’t been a Hyuuga or an Uchiha, as she would have expected. Instead, a little Nara boy had boredly stated his opinion as though it were fact.

  Sakura lets her head fall back as she looks up at the night sky. “I hate that the only respect I earnt was on the back of my perceived strength.”

  Miyu watches her downy lashes as she blinks slowly, and wants to memorise the exact shade of green of her eyes under the lantern light.

  “You’re lucky to have been born in Konoha,” if there’s a wistful hum to her tone, Miyu doesn’t try too hard to check it. “Most of my life has been spent trying to prove I’m worth the time it takes to play a game.”

  She remembers a time before shogi. Dark days spent hunched around her grumbling stomach, weak and dizzy as she watched her father eat what little food they had. Lessons where she struggled to peer at the board through hazy eyes because she’d only had a tiny thermos of tea for lunch.

  Desperately trying to get home before nightfall lest she be dragged into an alleyway or snatched by slavers with no one to come looking for her, a forgotten casualty of the cracks she grew up in.

  “Konoha is better than most,” Sakura sighs, “but many people still try and force women into domestic roles, and female ninja often get pushed into the role of a medic.” Sakura lowers her gaze to street level once more.

  “I wonder how different my life might’ve been if I were born a boy,” Miyu murmurs, eyes scanning the vibrant streets of Konoha.

  “Don’t we all?” Sakura chuckles in agreement as they finally reach the dango vendor. Sasuke is already holding cups and a takeaway thermos of what must be tea, and Naruto is holding a small mountain of boxes.

  “Don’t you two even think about racing to the Hokage Monument with all that precious cargo!” snaps Sakura, and the two of them jerk to attention.

  “Aw, Sakura!” Naruto’s whine is loud, “It’s no fun without the challenge-”

  “I will end you,” she deadpans, and Yamato chuckles as Naruto pouts.

  “Exactly, idiot,” Sasuke sounds smug.

  “Don’t think I didn’t notice you shifting those cups to make hand signs,” Sakura’s tone is dry, and Sasuke blanches as he shares a guilty look with Naruto.

  Then the pink-haired ninja turns to Miyu, sweeps her off her feet effortlessly, and then they’re moving. Miyu doesn’t yelp, but her arms go around Sakura’s neck as they end up blurring along the rooftops, and then – oh gods –

  Sakura runs straight up the rock face of the Hokage Monument.

  “Sakura-san!” Miyu squeaks, screwing her eyes shut.

  “What? Oh!” The sound of her laughter makes Miyu want to cry, because they’re completely horizontal and up way too high.

  “Sorry,” they come to a stop but Miyu doesn’t open her eyes, “forget sometimes.”

  “That was rather mean, Sakura-chan,” Kakashi sounds amused, and Miyu is loathe to witness his lone smug eye so she keeps her own shut.

  “I’m sorry,” she says again to Miyu, setting her legs down.

  “It’s alright,” she feels rather faint, “thank you for the ride.”

  She opens her eyes to the sight of Konoha, lantern-lit and beautiful under the light of the moon. They’re standing atop the cliff, much too close to the edge of it if Miyu is honest.

  Slowly, as the sounds of Naruto and Sasuke’s bickering gets closer, she edges down until she’s sitting. She eyes the cliff’s edge warily and tries to ignore the swoop of her stomach when she thinks about being on the face of it just moments ago.

  “You alright?” Kakashi crouches beside her, still seeming much too amused at her expense. Behind them Sakura is yelling at Naruto and Sasuke for racing ahead anyway.

  “Fine,” Miyu hopes she doesn’t look as scared as she feels. These people could jump from this height and be fine, but her? Miyu would fall, and Miyu would go splat.

  “You don’t look fine,” he reaches out and brushes the backs of his fingers against her forehead.

  “Just contemplating my fragile mortality,” she knows her voice is too high and though her hands are hidden as they clench in her sleeves, Miyu gets the feeling that he knows just how not okay she is.

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  He huffs out a laugh, and she can feel his eye on her as she focuses on the horizon and tries not to think about what would happen if a strong gust of wind were to hurtle past.

  “You know we wouldn’t let anything happen to you, right?” His voice is low and casual, clearly for her ears only.

  “Hm,” she doesn’t trust her traitorous voice right now.

  Kakashi huffs out a laugh and it’s a nice sound. Miyu lets herself glance to him. The moonlight makes his pale hair shine silver, and the grey of his visible eye is cast in shadows. For a fleeting moment she wonders what he truly looks like.

  “Miyu?”

  Itachi appears crouching on her right in a heartbeat. She starts and almost falls backwards, but Kakashi’s hand darts out and steadies her by the shoulder.

  “See?” He lets go of her too quickly, snatching his hand back as though she’s burnt him, but continues talking, “We’d catch you if you fell.”

  And then he stands and lopes over to where Yamato is handing out cups of tea. Miyu shifts her gaze onto Itachi, whose dark eyes are focused on Kakashi’s back. His expression is unreadable.

  “All good,” she says, glad that her voice has gained some semblance of normalcy.

  “Sorry,” he murmurs, reaching out to settle one of his hands over hers, and she knows he’s apologising for more than her trip up the side of a literal cliff.

  “I understand,” she hums because she really does. He’s the Uchiha clan heir. And she’s - well, she’s no one. There are more eyes and ears in Konoha focused on their every interaction than she could ever guess. It’s not surprising that he must keep his distance.

  He opens his mouth to say something more, brows pinched together just slightly, but Naruto interrupts him.

  “Here, Miyu-chan!” the blonde pushes a few takeaway boxes onto her lap, and she hurries to steady them. Sasuke is suddenly just behind Naruto’s shoulder, handing Itachi two steaming cups of tea.

  “Thank you,” she smiles up at them and Naruto gives her a huge beaming grin. Sasuke only inclines his chin a little, eyeing his brother’s face intensely before they both turn to head back to Sakura.

  Miyu accepts the cup that Itachi extends to her and he alleviates some of the boxes on her lap. For a few moments they just eat dango and sip at their tea, looking out over the village. Miyu remembers another night at a festival not so long ago. The hum of the generator beneath her, the bustle of the crowds, the crackle of fireworks, and Itachi. Silent and calm beside her.

  She wonders where she would be right now if Sasuke hadn’t come when he did. Homeless? Caught and murdered? Living on the run, again? There’s no telling what her future would have been. Part of her hates that she had to rely on anyone other than herself. But another, smaller part, is glad that she hadn’t been alone. Isn’t alone, even now.

  “You’re so very far away, aren’t you?” Itachi’s soft voice is barely audible.

  “Only for a moment,” she sighs, letting her head tip back to look up at the night sky. “I’m just...” She wants to reach out and hold his hand, but she won’t. Not outside the relative privacy of her apartment.

  “I wonder where I’d be right now without you,” her voice is barely above a whisper, and her loose hair whips lightly in the cool breeze. Itachi doesn’t have an answer for her, but she hadn’t said it expecting a response.

  “Thank you,” she says, face still tilted at the sky, “for everything you’ve done for me.”

  “Miyu.”

  She shifts her gaze to him, watching as he reaches for her and then stops. His hand hovers close enough to her face that she can feel the heat radiating from his skin. And then he draws back, eyes remorseful.

  “Don’t,” his gaze won’t let her look away. “I’ve brought you in to… something else entirely. Konoha is safe, but it’s not-” he cuts himself off. “I’m sorry.”

  “You apologise,” she says, feeling a small smile edge on to her face, “and yet I’m living safe, in your village. I have steady work, more respect from others than I know what to do with, and, well-” you.

  She leaves that unspoken, but if the way his eyes soften is any indication, he understands.

  A little further along the cliff top Sasuke and Naruto are engaged in some kind of competition involving handstands and dango eating. Sakura’s laugher drifts over along with Yamato’s dry commentary and Miyu wonders whether this is the first night in months she doesn’t feel crushed by her grief. She shifts her gaze back to the skyline, and takes in the glow of the village before them.

  “The world is pretty beautiful, hey?” she sighs, downing the last of her tea.

  She can feel Itachi’s gaze on the side of her face as he murmurs, “So beautiful.”

  Hoping her blush can be passed off by the slight chill in the breeze, Miyu doesn’t look to him. How could she not kiss him if she did? Every muscle in her body is screaming at her to turn, to tilt, to bring their lips together in a touch that she’s been anticipating for months.

  Instead she takes in a few deep breaths of the crisp air and shuts her eyes as her hair is tugged by the wind, a few stray strands tickling at her face. They sit together in comfortable silence, and Miyu is able to resist the urge to lean into Itachi’s warmth.

  “I’ll take you home,” Kakashi’s voice sounds from behind them, and Miyu doesn’t jump only because he’d made his footsteps audible.

  “Thank you, Kakashi-san,” Miyu says as she pushes herself to her feet. One glimpse over the edge of the cliff has her white-faced and feeling unsteady, and she almost stumbles back into Kakashi’s chest.

  “It’s not a worry,” he says, and then scoops her into his arms easily. She only squeaks a little, because he’s taller than her and now she can see even further down the side of the cliff.

  “Close your eyes,” Itachi instructs softly from where he’s standing just before her now. “I’ll see you later.”

  Miyu nods, offers a shaky smile, and shuts her eyes. Her hands fist in the fabric of Kakashi’s vest as he jumps-

  The short scream escapes her despite her best efforts. Because Miyu’s always had a very vivid imagination, and her mind rather unhelpfully supplies an image of exactly what it would look like if her eyes were open.

  The rushing wind stops, and Miyu takes a moment to catch her breath, eyes still screwed shut.

  “Sorry,” she manages to get out, unable to pull her hands away from his vest just yet.

  “It’s fine,” Kakashi’s smile is in his tone, “I love having my eardrums subjected to piercing screams over short distances.”

  “Psh,” Miyu can’t help her half-scoff, smiling even with her eyes shut, “it was hardly loud!”

  “The wind carried it over,” Kakashi sighs mournfully now, “I’m sure my left eardrum is perforated.”

  Miyu really does laugh then, finally managing to unclench her hands and open her eyes. They’re moving across the rooftops at a more sedate pace than she’s used to, and for a moment all she does is admire the view.

  “I’m sure Sakura-san will take a look at it for you,” Miyu says with mock sympathy, tilting her face to look up at him. Kakashi is looking ahead, but this angle and her proximity allow her a closer look at the sharp outline of his jaw, the straight line of his nose, even the shape of his lips. Again, she wonders what his face looks like, and decides after only a moment that it’s none of her business.

  They touch down on her balcony ten minutes after leaving the monument, and for a moment Kakashi lingers.

  “Come inside for tea?” Miyu asks as she opens the door, and Kakashi takes half a step forward before he hesitates.

  “Ah, no thank you. I should get going.”

  Miyu bows neatly to him and smiles, “Thank you for bringing me home, Kakashi-san.”

  He stares at her impassively for a few seconds before he gives a little wave and jumps away. Yawning, Miyu steps inside and locks the door behind her, though now that she thinks about it, she doubts a lock will provide much security in a ninja village.

  She walks into the kitchen and goes about making herself a cup of tea. A slight breeze from her open window over the kitchen sink sends goosebumps along her arms, but as she steps towards it to shut it, she hears a voice – faint, but familiar.

  Straining, she shuts her eyes and listens.

  “A civilian? Really, Itachi?”

  Kakashi. He must be on the roof, or near enough to it.

  “I don’t see how this concerns you.”

  Itachi’s voice is flat, defensive.

  “Oh, don’t mind me. Lost most people I’ve loved, and they were all trained ninja.” The sarcasm is so thick she almost cringes. “But go ahead, be with a civilian.”

  There’s a brief pause, and she gets the feeling Itachi is shifting uncomfortably.

  “She’s different, Kakashi.”

  “She’s fragile.” The response is patronising. “Don’t act like you can’t see it. One slip and she’s gone-”

  “You’re being unnecessarily cruel.” Itachi’s voice is raised and it makes Miyu instantly cautious. Kakashi has struck a nerve, there’s no denying it.

  “I’m being realistic.” The older man drawls, sounding bored. “Others don’t want to tell you the truth, and for most of your life you’ve hated that.”

  There’s a beat of silence, and then Kakashi continues, “I thought you liked how upfront I am.”

  She catches Itachi’s sigh, and then his murmured, “Not regarding this.”

  Kakashi laughs, short and bitter.

  “What, your anxiety can’t handle the thought of her falling down the stairs or being collateral in an unfortunate accident?”

  “Kakashi-”

  “Feel like inviting that clan curse people are always talking about?”

  “Miyu is-”

  “Is it really worth it just to get your dick wet?”

  “Enough.” Itachi’s voice is loud enough she thinks she might have heard it even if the window was shut. “It’s not like that and you know it.”

  Another few tense moments of silence.

  “Fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Miyu turns and continues preparing her tea as she mulls over their conversation. Kakashi isn’t shallow enough to think Itachi is around her for the sex, right? They haven’t even kissed, let alone –

  She sighs and rubs at her temples, trying not to think about it. It’ll just get her worked up and she really wants to sleep without the sound of clinking shogi tiles tonight.

  Miyu retires to the couch, gaze drawn to the board sitting on the coffee table. The corner of her mouth twitches down hard as she takes in the silence of her apartment. In the dark, without the warmth of Itachi at her side or the bickering of team seven at her back, Miyu is alone.

  Miyu feels alone.

  She misses the Okiya fiercely then, the sound of Masa puttering about the kitchen, Kikyo’s laughter in the halls, Nanami’s afternoon harp.

  If she shuts her eyes she might be able to pretend they’re here with her. But she knows doing that will push her past a point of no return. So she sits, heart hurting, and misses them.

  When she finally does sleep, it’s to the unsettling quiet. She thinks maybe the tiles wouldn’t have been so bad.